In a first for the sprawling RDU1 Amazon distribution and processing facility in Garner, its workers union campaign has filed a petition to put a union to a vote.
The union campaign Carolina Amazonians for Solidarity and Empowerment, known by its acronym CAUSE, announced Monday that they requested a union election from the National Labor Relations Board, a board that Amazon has previously challenged on its constitutionality. The INDY Week first reported the news.
If successful, the RDU1 facility would be the first unionized Amazon facility in the South, and the second such union in the country.
The petition comes after a three-year-long CAUSE campaign calling for workers’ rights among the thousands of workers employed at the 2 million-square-foot Garner facility. Amazon has publicly said at least 2,000 workers are employed at the Wake County facility that opened in 2020.
CAUSE estimates that the actual number of employees floats between 3,500 and 6,000 workers.
CAUSE must collect union authorization cards from at least 30% of RDU1 workers in order to call a vote, a threshold that CAUSE believes they have already met. Then, more than 50% of workers must cast a final vote in order to become a union and gain collective bargaining power.
The campaign began collecting union authorization cards since Labor Day, according to previous reporting by INDY Week and The Raleigh News & Observer. CAUSE has accused Amazon of an “illegal campaign of intimidation” to discourage workers from signing union authorization cards.
“Amazon prioritizes profit over everything else, especially the well-being of workers,” CAUSE president Rev. Ryan Brown said in a statement. “We all appreciate Amazon’s fast delivery, but it shouldn’t come at the cost of human suffering.”
Brown was fired from Amazon on Dec. 3 following an investigation into his workplace conduct not related to his union activity, the INDY Week first reported. Brown reportedly denied the investigation’s findings, and CAUSE decried the firing as anti-union activity, The News & Observer reported.
Three CAUSE members and Amazon employees were also arrested and accused of trespassing on Dec. 6, outside the warehouse while collecting union authorization cards.
CAUSE calls on Amazon to provide $30-an-hour minimum starting wage and give worker paid hour-long breaks during shifts that can range from 10 to 12 hours long during 60-hour work weeks. CAUSE organizers say one half hour break and the average pay aren’t enough, and many must work 60-hour weeks and take on second jobs to get by.
“We’re tired of being treated like we are fungible, of being disrespected, and struggling to put food on the table,” said CAUSE co-founder and vice-president Mary Hill in a statement.
In an emailed statement to WUNC, Amazon spokeswoman Eileen Hards said the company is “very skeptical” that the campaign will get a sufficient number of legitimate signatures for their petition. Amazon denies CAUSE’s allegations about their work environment.
“The fact is, Amazon already offers what many unions are requesting: Safe, inclusive workplaces, competitive pay, industry-leading benefits—including health care on day one, pre-paid college tuition, and a 401k with company match—opportunities for career growth, and more,” Hards said.
Hards did not provide information on the average pay at RDU1 and the total number of employees at the facility.
The campaign claims that RDU1 workers start at $18 an hour with pay capped at $20.90. According to the company itself, fulfillment center employees are paid $22 on average and paid between $18.50 and $29.50 per hour depending on position and location.
